Linemen come of age for Mavericks

Leading the way...Senior end Ben Preston runs through a warmup drill on Tuesday afternoon at James Monroe High School. (Staff photo by Tom Bone)

LINDSIDE - There were holes on the line for the James Monroe Mavericks prior to the start of the season.

Those holes got filled right away, and the toil of the offensive and defensive lines have been a big part of the Mavericks' 10-0 regular season and a No. 2 ranking in Class AA.

Coach David Witt said, “We made up our mind before we started practicing that we were going to take this group of sophomores and stick them in there, day one, in the offensive line, and work them hard for four weeks. ...

“That would give us some depth heading into the season that we may not have had otherwise. And it brought those sophomores along.”

He altered that statement immediately. “They brought themselves along. It's not so much what we did, it's what they did. And that began last December (in weight training and conditioning),” Witt said.

“One of the assets that this group of linemen had was that they were all smart. I don't think people relate offensive linemen to intelligence, but it's a big factor in how well they play.”

Jason Jackson, who benefits from the blocking as a runner and passer, said, “They're a great line. I'm really impressed with what they've done this year.”

Senior Ben Preston, a 205-pound end, has been a force on both offense and defense, and an assist to his teammates.

He said, “It's nice to have a lot of younger guys on your team, to teach them how to play. They learn from your experiences.

“It's kind of awkward to have younger guys, because they're still learning during the year. Hopefully by the end of the year they'll have everything down pat, and maybe they'll be better than you one day.

“The sophomores have done great this year. They've trained really hard, and worked their butts off in practice. They've improved tremendously.”

Preston has been on a playoff team each of his four years at James Monroe. “I think playoffs are a big deal for Monroe County football. It's considered if you don't go to the playoffs in Monroe County football, you're having a bad year. So we've just got to come to play.”

He thought back to his freshman year. “When I came into it, I was nervous. I was wanting to play, but I was kind of scared. But now it's kind of habit, since I've played every year.” He said the success has caused the Mavs to be “more adapted to the environment as a team.”

As a tight end for the run-oriented Mavericks, he's expected to do more blocking than catching.

Preston said, “The offense that we run, and the coach that we have, doesn't like to air it out a lot. But I'm ready for any passes that come my way.”

Witt said, “He's not the fastest, but he's got exceptional hands.” He pointed to a catch last Friday against Greenbrier East that kept a key touchdown drive alive.

Preston said, “I had a good route called for the defense they were running. I thought if I could beat the corner, then I'd have an open shot for the pass. And he aired it out right over top of them, and I pulled it in.”

Witt said that Preston has “been one of our leaders on defense the last two years.” As an example, he referred to a regular-season game against Liberty Raleigh, “a really competitive ballgame.” Preston was sick “with a stomach bug or something,” Witt said.

“He would come off the field, throw up, and go back. ... A lot of kids don't have the intestinal fortitude to do that. But he played both ways all night long, and made several big plays in the ballgame on top of it.”

“That's been the biggest asset that our team has. I don't think we necessarily have all the overall athletic ability that a lot of people have, but we kind of make up for it with heart and guts.”